A Tale of Two Princes
by XiroPaine
Summary: Takes place after the White Day musical where Tomoe and Kaoru become bros and help each other out because underneath those cool exteriors, they're actually just useless lesbians. TomoHima and KaoChisa. TomoKao BrOTP.
1. Chapter 1

Running into Kaoru was one of the last things Tomoe had expected to happen when she was leaving the dance club one late afternoon. Ako had already left earlier with Lisa since there was a Roselia rehearsal that night. Afterglow had the day off- Himari and Tsugumi both had club activities today as well- so Tomoe was planning on walking home alone when she caught glimpse of her senior at the shoe lockers. Kaoru had just finished up with the drama club and was also preparing to leave for the day. After exchanging some pleasantries, it was Tomoe's stomach that interrupted their conversation with a pleading growl. Kaoru mentioned something about 'appetite being a universal wolf,' or something like that; however, she also admitted that she was quite peckish herself. The two agreed to grab some food together at a nearby fast food restaurant since they were both free for the rest of the day.

On their walk to the restaurant, they had caught up with some idle chatter, each reminiscing about what had transpired in their respective clubs that day. Ever since their collaboration on the White Day play that Kaoru put together for her little kittens, the two started to interact more often. Prior to that, they would simply exchange quick greetings whenever they happened to come across each other. More often than not was because of Himari somehow bringing them all together.

Speak of the devil, Himari had a shift at the fast food restaurant that day. Tomoe couldn't help but laugh at her face of exasperation when she and Kaoru arrived together. Kaoru put on her best face for the pink-haired bassist- as she did with all of her little kittens- and was rewarded with a free upgrade from a small to a large side of fries. Tomoe opted to take advantage of her employee discount for her own meal, saving Himari the embarrassment of her playful teases.

"There's something I wanted to ask," Kaoru began out of nowhere, sipping at her drink. They had gotten their food and were seated at one of the far booths of the restaurant.

Tomoe raised an eyebrow. She wasn't quite sure what her senpai had on her mind, but recognized that her tone had grown a bit more serious than their previously light-hearted conversation.

Regardless, she nodded, "Sure, ask away."

Kaoru glanced off to the side momentarily, slightly towards the direction where Himari was, before reverting her gaze back at Tomoe. The nervousness seemed uncharacteristic of her; Kaoru avoided direct eye contact and spoke slowly as she tried to find her words. "How is it that you and Himari-chan are so close? I know you're childhood friends and all, but," Kaoru paused. "How do you keep from drifting apart from each other?"

Tomoe coughed slightly, almost choking on her drink. She was certainly thrown off by Kaoru's question. "Well, um… I suppose it just happens when you've spent years practically growing up with a person."

The answer was more complicated than that; Tomoe wasn't sure how to put it into words. Sure, she and Himari were inseparable- much like the way Moca and Ran were- but sometimes she wondered if was simply because they've bonded so much as friends or if it was something more. Tomoe wasn't entirely certain about her own feelings, so it was impossible to try to explain something she didn't completely understand herself. Instead, she tried to divert the conversation. "Where did this come from anyways?"

Kaoru sighed, resting her chin against her propped up arm. "Lately, I've been having some issues regarding an old friend of mine. We used to be really close when we were younger, but ended drifting apart over the years." Kaoru swirled her drink around. She took a moment, debating if she should really put herself out there. "Would you believe me if I said I wasn't always like this?"

The two nearly stood nose-to-nose to each other in height; even Kaoru would sometimes forget that Tomoe was, in fact, her junior. Tomoe had a reputation for being reliable, something Kaoru experienced firsthand when she asked the drummer to be in her play. If Kaoru was really honest with herself, it was possible that Tomoe had things more figured out than she did. The redhead expelled an aura of natural composure and strong sense of self that Kaoru had spent years trying to fabricate into that princely persona she was now known for. She had worn the mask for so long that it was tough to show the much more fragile and honest interior; but something gave Kaoru the feeling that she could trust Tomoe.

So Kaoru confided in Tomoe. She spared no detail, explaining how she had been close friends with Chisato. How she used to be a timid little girl who Chisato would constantly have to protect from bullies or reassure her from her insecurities. How that when they went to different middle schools, Kaoru worked to become the kind of person that people could rely on in hopes that she could help Chisato in the same way she helped Kaoru.

However, over the years, Chisato had only grown colder towards her, even to the point of shutting her down or straight up ignoring her. Kaoru would double or even triple her efforts to make herself seem worthy of Chisato's attention, only to recently find out that a princely Kaoru wasn't the person Chisato wanted.

Even after that encounter with Chisato, Kaoru wasn't sure if she could just drop the princely act. She had gotten too used to the role, enjoyed it even. It was a persona that she stuck to for so long that Kaoru wasn't sure who she was anymore. Did she lie to herself for so long that she began to believe the façade she created?

Tomoe would nod every so often, signifying that she was listening to everything that Kaoru told her. While some of the things Kaoru confessed did shatter some of Tomoe's previous perceptions of the guitarist, she made the effort to take what was given to her without any judgement. When Kaoru finished, Tomoe took a moment to process the information. The silence made the air weigh down against Kaoru's shoulders for what seemed like an eternity, but finally Tomoe spoke.

"If you ask me," Tomoe explained with a certain kind of calmness that made her seem wiser than her years, "The person you are now is just as much a part of you as the person you were then. Nobody really stays the same; aspects of ourselves can change over time. I guess you just have to find a balance between the two. Maybe you don't have to be so flamboyant, but you don't have to revert back to timidness either."

Kaoru furrowed her brow at the notion. Tomoe tried her best not to chuckle, as Kaoru looked like she was going to make her brain explode if she thought too much.

"Don't think too hard on it, Seta-senpai. All Shirasagi-san wants is for you to be genuine."

Tomoe had a point. Kaoru had been looking at it all in a binary perspective. Things were not simply black and white, but rather more like a gradient. She didn't have to give up one side of her for the other to flourish. The princely Kaoru that she is now was now was just as much a part of her identity as the feeble Kao-chan from her childhood. Two qualities that came together to create her whole personality.

"I see. Thank you, Tomoe-chan, for your insight," Kaoru said, committing the advice given to her to memory. "You know, Himari-chan is certainly lucky to have a person like you in her life."

It was Tomoe's turn to become self-conscious. Laughing nervously, she glanced off just over Kaoru's shoulder, looking out a window as she rubbed the back of her head. "Heh, I suppose. I mean-"

"You're too modest," Kaoru cut in with a smile. "Give yourself some more credit."

Tomoe laughed, "Yea, guess we both have to be a little more honest with ourselves."

Kaoru snickered, but raised her plastic cup in solidarity. They could definitely toast to that.


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N:** More serious girl-problem conversations with Tomoe and Kaoru! It'll pick up and lighten up soon, probably. The matters of the heart can get pretty angsty. Sorry for the gross amounts of dialogue.

* * *

With a disheartened sigh, Kaoru stared into her bowl of miso ramen. Who would have thought that being genuine would be so hard? Perhaps it was because she had gotten so used to faking it that letting authenticity shine through was more problematic than it ought to be.

Tonight wasn't supposed to turn out this way- Kaoru sitting alone at the bar of a late-night ramen shop while wallowing in her own self-pity with miso ramen and grape soda. Kaoru was supposed to be the supportive friend, coming out to one of Pastel*Palettes' unpublicized acoustic live shows out of her own accord. Of course, Chisato wouldn't have mentioned the event to her regardless, but Kaoru had other sources- namely Hina, who didn't know what the concept of "secret show" was and spilled the beans to the entirety of Haneoka's 2-A class.

Because of that, a majority of the audience recognized Kaoru at the show and ended up drawing in her own crowd even if she wasn't the main event. The theatre star tried to let down her kittens as easy as possible without being rude- as to avoid becoming the center of attention- but to no avail. Unfortunately, Chisato also took notice of this. After the set was finished, Kaoru's retribution was delivered in the form of a small blonde bassist's wrath.

" _What the hell are you doing here, Kaoru? This isn't even your gig!" Chisato berated._

 _Under a judgemental gaze, Kaoru could only stand there petrified. Angering Chisato was the exact opposite of what she had intended._

" _I just- I wanted," her voice quivered despite her attempts to keep her composure, "to watch you perform and support the band."_

 _Kaoru could have sworn she saw Chisato's eye twitch. "By coming and wooing all your 'little kittens' like you always do?"_

" _That's not-"_

" _That's what it was." Chisato immediately cut in, "That's what it's always been. Don't think that just because I'm on stage doesn't mean I can't see what happens."_

The echoes of Chisato's accusations rang out as Kaoru was reeled out of her memories. Someone had sat next to her at the bar. In any other case, Kaoru would have ignored it, but a familiar voice called out beside her.

"One pork shoyu, not too spicy." Tomoe told the chef on the other side of the bar. Kaoru stared at the drummer in confusion while the latter gave a lazy smile.

"Late night cravings." Tomoe explained sheepishly, rubbing the back of her neck. Her hair was messier than usual and it seemed as if she had just woken up. "Tried to stave it off until morning, but I couldn't get to sleep so-"

"You came all the way out here for some ramen?" Kaoru raised a brow, puzzled. "This late at night?"

Tomoe chuckled lightly, "It's like a ten minute walk from my house. A blessing and a curse really."

After accepting a glass of water from the wait staff, Tomoe yawned and propped her arm up on the bar counter to rest her chin on her hand. "I've never seen you here before, what're you doing here at this hour?"

"Just came from a show." Kaoru answered vaguely, reaching for her drink. She sarcastically added, "It was supposed to be a 'secret.'"

"Oh? It was Pastel*Palettes, I bet." Tomoe guessed, "Hina came and told us earlier this week during lunch break."

Neither of them were surprised that Hina would try to rep the event to everyone she knew. When people tried to explain to her the concept of a secret show, Hina's counter-argument was that 'some people need to know or nobody will show up.' The two shared a laugh at the memory; as strange as her thought processes were, Hina's argument was reasonable.

"Doesn't look like it went all too well." Tomoe inquired after their chuckles died down. It was easy to catch when Kaoru wasn't in good spirits.

Kaoru answered with a heavy sigh. "Though she be but little, she is fierce."

Tomoe hummed, trying to decipher the quote, or at least what Kaoru's interpretation of Shakespeare was. Tomoe's pork shoyu came and the silence was filled with the sounds of slurping noodles and relieved sighs. As Tomoe hungrily devoured her ramen, Kaoru had trouble finishing own bowl as it was now cooled to around room temperature.

"I'm just trying to make them happy." Kaoru thought out loud, "but with her, I… can't make her happy. Even if I treat her better than the rest-"

"She just thinks that's who you are and she'll never realize how much she really means to you." Tomoe interrupted, hint of sourness in her voice "Yea, I know."

"Yeah, exactly." Kaoru exclaimed, nearly bringing up another point. However, she was silenced as she caught glimpse of Tomoe's downcast demeanor.

"Tomoe-chan?" Kaoru asked with concern.

"Hmm? What's up?" Tomoe glanced up, feigning naiveness.

"Forgive me for reading too far into things," Kaoru apologized in advance. "But, you're not having problems with Himari-chan, are you?"

It was not Tomoe's turn to sigh and stare into her ramen bowl.

"I wouldn't say there are problems," she drew out. "Like, we're not fighting like you and Shirasagi-san are."

"That's not what I meant." Kaoru deadpanned.

"Right," Tomoe chuckled nervously. "Well, I've been doing a lot of thinking lately…"

Tomoe struggled to find her words. She took a moment to recollect her thoughts before continuing again. "Let me put it to you this way. Have you ever considered that you could be more than just close friends with Shirasagi-san?"

"Like...lovers?" Kaoru speculated. Tomoe nervously took a large gulp of water.

"Maybe?" Tomoe answered uncertainty, although something in her heart made it feel like the right answer.

"For someone who isn't so sure of her own feelings, your fondness for Himari-chan is quite obvious." Kaoru mentioned.

"Is that so?" Tomoe asked sarcastically, if not to hide her actual embarrassment.

"The great bard was no stranger to love," Kaoru said, "the seeds of attraction do not escape my gaze."

"I don't think Shakespeare said that."

"No, I made it up." Kaoru confessed. "Though, perhaps you need to be more vocal about your desires."

"Or, we can stay as we are and I don't potentially ruin a solid friendship over a decade in the making." Tomoe recoiled.

"Our doubts are traitors and make us lose the good we oft might win by fearing to attempt." Kaoru reasoned in a Shakespearean manner.

"How are you even able to pull out quotes at this hour?!"

Kaoru laughed. "The course of true love never did run smooth."

"Please, it's too late for this," Tomoe complained, rubbing her temples from knowing Kaoru was just messing with her at this point.

"Just consider it." Kaoru said seriously as she stood. They both had finished their meals amidst their conversation and it was getting late. She placed a comforting hand on Tomoe's shoulder.

"A great bard once said, 'don't think too hard on it, Tomoe-chan. All Himari-chan wants is for you to be genuine.'"

Tomoe hummed in slight annoyance as Kaoru took her leave, grimacing at the fact that her own advice had been used against her.


	3. Chapter 3

"Tomoe!" Himari whined, pounding her fist against Tomoe's arm. "Come with me!"

Tomoe feigned annoyance at Himari's attacks. The punches didn't actually hurt; Himari never put any real substantial force behind them to actually bother her. It was just how they always joked with each other.

"It's two towns over, and we still have homework." Tomoe reasoned.

Resting on the table in front of them was a flyer for a baking festival being held this weekend. Tsugu handed it to them as they entered the Hazawa Café just a few minutes earlier. The festival was a fairly popular event in that area, with all the sweets, pastries, tea, and other whatnots a person could dream of. It was a tough opportunity to pass up.

Tsugu wanted to come with, but she already promised her parents to help work the cafe that weekend. Not to mention that she was a diligent, hard-working student that put her academics before leisurely fun, and even had a study date planned with a certain guitarist to help her concentrate. Tomoe ignored the fact that Tsugu and Sayo went to completely different schools . As strange and unexpected their friendship was, Tomoe wouldn't complain if it made Tsugu happy. Himari, on the other hand, completely missed the hint, promising to bring back cupcakes for Afterglow's beloved keyboardist.

"Why don't you ask Moca?" Tomoe asked, "She'd love to go with you."

"She'd just make fun of me for eating so many calories," Himari complained, "and probably trick me into buying everything."

"You're not wrong." Tomoe confessed plainly, still unfazed at Himari, who was now shaking her by the sleeve.

"Come on~," Himari begged her best friend, "Why won't you come?"

There was no reason for Tomoe to not come along, she was just trying to be the responsible one in their duo's dynamic. " _Trying,"_ being the keyword. Tomoe knew all too well that she couldn't say no to Himari's puffy and adorable pout that she enjoyed to purposely draw out at times.

Tomoe faked a groan of annoyance, giving Himari the response she was vying for. "Fine~, I'll come with you."

Himari cheered at her victory, smothering Tomoe in a bear hug as she did so. Tomoe rocked slightly at the force of it, but simply laughed at how quickly Himari's emotions could change. Behind them, the two heard the bell to the front door jingle as it opened. Tomoe and Himari turned their heads in curiosity, finding Kaoru and Kanon entering the vicinity.

"Kaoru-senpai!" Himari practically screamed for the entire café to hear, her voice raising in pitch at least an octave up from her excitement. She launched herself out of the booth haphazardly as Kaoru and Kanon came to their table, thus leaving Tomoe to fall over onto the leathery seat from the momentum.

"Aah… 'tis one thing to be tempted, but another thing to fall." Tomoe muttered just loud enough for the other three to hear. Kaoru snickered in response, still half embracing Himari in a hug while slyly giving the fallen drummer a thumbs up. Kanon confusingly glanced between the two, previously unaware that the two actually interacted with each other, while Himari narrowed her eyes towards the redhead.

"You two are almost becoming the same person and I'm not sure how I feel about this," Himari said, partly suspicious yet also rather delighted that two of her favorite people were starting to get along better.

Tomoe returned the comment with an unapologetic grin as she sat back up. "Good afternoon, Seta-senpai, Matsubara-san."

The two seniors returned the greeting, albeit one more confidently and casually than the other.

"We're sorry to intrude," Kanon managed to peep out. "We won't be long. We're just waiting for Chisato-chan to arrive."

"It's really no problem at all," Tomoe replied to the fellow drummer then raised her brow at Kaoru as if to look for an answer.

"Ah, well-" Kaoru tried to explain before scurrying into the other booth and beckoning Tomoe to lend her ear.

"Okay, look here," Kaoru whispered quickly and quietly. "Kanon and Chisato like to have tea together regularly. So I thought that maybe if I could get Kanon to bring me along, Chisato wouldn't be as cold to me if she was also around."

"Hey! What secrets are you keeping?!" Himari chided, joining the two back at the booth and trying to get in on the juicy gossip.

"Oi, it's nothing that concerns you." Tomoe answered, shoving Himari off of her and away from their confidential conversation.

The bassist pouted at the blatant rejection, "I can't believe this. You two become friends and now you're transpiring against me."

"We are doing no such thing." Tomoe grabbed at Himari's cheeks, causing Himari to immediately writhe.

"To-mo-e!"

Besides them, Kanon felt slightly out of place in the situation yet could not help but giggle at the antics of Afterglow's rhythm section. It was certainly a change of pace to the shenanigans of Hello, Happy World!, but it was still as lively. Once the two had ceased their scuffling, Kanon was happily accepted to the table's company.

"A baking festival?" Kanon reiterated as she looked over the flyer.

"Mhm, do you want to come with us?" Himari asked happily. "The more the merrier!"

"You didn't want to invite Moca," Tomoe reminded Himari.

"I did invite her, and Ran too!" Himari retaliated, shoving her phone into Tomoe's face and showing the text she sent. "They both said they had work."

"I'm in that group chat too, you know." Tomoe grumbled, stealing the phone out of Himari's hand and placing it back onto the table.

"I'm sorry, Himari-chan," Kanon began, "But, I'm scheduled to work that day as well. Ah, but maybe Chisato-chan would want to go."

"Ah, yes! We should extend the invitation to Chisato then when she gets here," Kaoru answered.

"Extend what invitation when Chisato gets here?" A dignified voice called.

The group turned to see Chisato walking up to the booth. She turned her attention solely to the blue-haired drummer, "I'm sorry, Kanon, but an appointment ran over. I hope I didn't keep you waiting."

"Oh no, not at all." Kanon answered with a welcoming smile. "I've been in good company, actually."

"Would you like to join us?" Kaoru offered, not wanting to be ignored.

Chisato stared at Kaoru for a moment, her expression unreadable. For Kaoru, Chisato's gaze felt as if needles were lodging themselves into her eyes. It barely lasted for a second or two, but Kaoru felt her breath hitch at the anticipation.

"Sure," Chisato finally answered after what seemed like forever, squeezing into the booth with Kanon and Kaoru. Kaoru released a breath she didn't realize she had been holding and across the table Tomoe curled her lips into a satisfied smirk.

"We were wondering if you wanted to go to a baking festival with us this weekend." Himari picked up the conversation that had never really dropped. "If you have time, that is. We know that you have a busy schedule."

As Kanon passed over the flyer to Chisato, Tomoe quickly kicked Kaoru under the table without getting the attention of the other three. Kaoru glanced at Tomoe with a 'what the hell?' sort of look, at which Tomoe notioned towards Chisato with her head.

"Um… There's going to be tea tasting at the festival," Kaoru proposed awkwardly as she shifted her attention towards Chisato, her voice lacking the charming tone she usually employed. "I know you like those sorts of things."

Chisato glanced up from the flyer to look at Kaoru, surprised at Kaoru's honest contribution to the conversation. She gave off the faintest of smiles, a fleeting sign of gaiety that Kaoru actually remembered one of her interests.

"I see," Chisato said with composure, perfectly disguising her true feelings at the situation. "If that's the case, maybe I can rearrange my schedule to make it work."

"Splendid!" Kaoru immediately spurt out; but upon receiving the shocked and confused looks of the others at the table- minus Tomoe's wholehearted attempt not to burst out laughing- Kaoru coughed awkwardly to diffuse the tension as an apparent blush beginning to paint onto her face. "I mean… that'd be great... if you could come."

Tomoe had to turn towards the window and cover her mouth to avoid from cackling. Kaoru kicked Tomoe back under the table, well knowing how much she had just embarrassed herself. Lucky for them, Kanon was too busy apologizing to Chisato that she couldn't make it, and Himari was already planning out everything they had to try while at the festival.

The two princes shared a knowing glance. The initial burden had been lifted; what was past was prologue. Now they could only look forth to the day of the festival.

* * *

 **A/N** : Honestly, I'm not even sure if *I'm* using these Shakespeare quotes right, but that's fine since Kaoru, and Tomoe now too I guess (Kaoru's been a bad influence in that regard), doesn't either.

The next few chapters might take a while. They're already planned, but my final year of college starts this week and all hell is going to break loose.


	4. Chapter 4

Tomoe sat on the couch in the Uehara's living room as she waited for Himari to finish getting ready for their day to the festival. She had been here countless times before, but today she couldn't help but feel restless, as if the walls were somehow going to collapse in on her. Perhaps it was the slight worry that they would miss the train; but, Tomoe knew exactly what had her so anxious. Today was the day she was finally going to address her feelings about Himari… to Himari.

But what was it that she actually felt? It was unexplainable, really. Kaoru called it love, and maybe it was, but it had happened in the most unexpected way. Love, at least in all the romantic comedies Himari forced Tomoe to watch with her, was supposed to make your stomach flip, your heart pound, and your head spin. That was certainly happening to Tomoe right now in this very moment, but it was usually never that way.

No, she couldn't really say she fell in love. There weren't any time-stopping moments that made Tomoe's world sparkle in her eyes when she saw Himari, no embarrassed nervousness whenever she was near. Never at any point did Tomoe feel like she was falling; if anything, she felt even more grounded whenever Himari was around. Teasing each other, supporting each other, being completely comfortable with each other; somehow that was just the natural progression of their dynamic throughout all the years they had known each other. Tomoe couldn't pinpoint exactly when she began to feel this way, which made things all the more confusing for her.

Tomoe didn't want their dynamic to change, she surely hoped it wouldn't after today. But there was something in her gut that had been bothering her for the last few weeks, as if something was meant to be addressed between the two of them. Tomoe spent the better part of the week texting Kaoru during their free time about the matter. Kaoru confirmed that the feeling she felt was indeed romantic love, though it still felt a little weird to call it that. But that's exactly what the feeling was: love.

"To-mo-e~, Earth to Tomoe."

Tomoe blinked a few times, realizing that Himari had finally finished getting ready. The redhead gave an apologetic smirk. "Sorry, just zoned out. Woke up early today."

"You didn't need to get here an hour early." Himari noted, offering her hand out to help Tomoe up from the couch.

"You take an hour to get ready and I don't want to miss the bullet train." Tomoe reprimanded, pressing her finger against Himari's forehead once she was on her feet. "The next one isn't for another three hours, you know."

Himari pouted, Tomoe knew her all too well. Tomoe even had to yank the blanket away for Himari to get her out of bed that morning. It wasn't her fault that her bed was much more inviting in the morning.

The two started off to the train station, talking about their itinerary for the day. They'd take the train to the main station, where they'd meet up with Kaoru and Chisato. Then, the four of them would take the bullet train to the town after next. Everything after that, in terms of what they'd actually do at the festival, was still up in the air. But, what was an adventure without a bit of improvisation?

Kaoru was the first one to reach the main station. She was always on time, early even, if she was able to do so. She sat at one of the benches, snacking on a red bean bun. She opted to skip breakfast at home to arrive a little earlier at their designated meeting spot. Not many people were on the platform yet, so it was easy to spot Chisato as she approached.

"You're early," Chisato said as she took a seat next to the guitarist.

"I try to be punctual." Kaoru replied, balling up her wrapper before sticking it in her pocket. She didn't feel like getting up to walk the 10ft to the trash can now that Chisato was here. "Plus, we wanted to milk every hour of the festival we could fit in today, right?"

Chisato yawned before agreeing with Kaoru. Trying to milk every hour of the festival meant they had to catch the first bullet train of the day. Kaoru took notice of Chisato's grogginess and handed her a takeaway cup she had sitting on the opposite side of her.

"I thought that maybe you'd need it. The cashier said it had caffeine in it and was a good choice to drink in the morning."

Chisato accepted the drink, feeling the warmth between her hands. She smiled to herself as she took the first sip. Hot green tea, and of the better variety as well. Chisato certainly didn't give Kaoru enough credit.

"Thank you, Kao-chan," Chisato found herself saying with a genuine smile.

"I, wha-" Kaoru stuttered at the mention of the old nickname. She rubbed the back of her neck awkwardly, "I mean… it really wasn't anything special."

"I appreciate the effort," Chisato replied. "The tea is wonderful, by the way."

"You're...welcome, Chi-chan." Kaoru had to turn away, covering her face as she did so. She could feel how badly her cheeks were burning.

Chisato giggled, cherishing this side of Kaoru. Though, it truly was a shame that Kaoru had to put on such an exaggerated act for some additional attention. Several emotions boiled within Chisato when she had to deal with that princely persona. Anger and coldness showed most often; but deep down, Chisato felt disappointment, jealousy, and longing.

Sometimes Chisato blamed herself for Kaoru's change, her acting career making it seem as if Kaoru had to be the same in order to keep her attention. It certainly caught the attention of many other women. She didn't want to admit it, but Chisato wanted Kaoru for herself. It was selfish of her to think as such. All Chisato longed for was a quieter life, much like the one she had years ago when she and Kaoru were still children. No worries about their responsibilities or what the public eye would think of them. Chisato knew that the timid Kao-chan that she knew before would have liked that too, but now she wasn't so sure with all the attention Kaoru actively attracted.

Chisato was torn from her thoughts when she suddenly heard Kaoru yelp. Tearing her glassy gaze away from the takeaway cup and refocusing on the world around her, Chisato was met with the scene of Himari hugging Kaoru from behind the bench- though it could have been borderline suffocating from how tight Himari's embrace was. Her head started to hurt a bit from pressure of her clenching her jaw tightly and instead opted to finish her drink, the tracks in front of her being a more tolerable view at the moment.

"Ah, good morning Himari-chan. You gave me quite the scare." Kaoru said, still slightly shaken up as Himari freed her from the embrace.

Tomoe caught up to the group, waving in greeting. "Morning, Seta-sempai, Shirasagi-san."

"Good morning." Chisato answered plainly, careful not to allow her annoyance to leak into her tone. She tried her best to avoid being too involved in the conversation.

"Did you already have breakfast, Himari-chan?" Kaoru asked, presenting her with a wrapped pastry. "I wasn't sure what you preferred, so I hope a melon bun is okay."

"That's what we forgot!" Himari exclaimed, taking claim of the remaining free space on the bench as she accepted the pastry. "See Tomoe, I told you we forgot something. Thanks, Kaoru-senpai!"

"Sorry, I was a bit short on money, so~" Kaoru dragged on as glanced at Tomoe.

"That's fine, we can share," Tomoe cut in. Kaoru responded with a pleased smirk.

"Besides, I'm saving myself for the festival," Himari added. She had already split the bun in half before Tomoe had even said anything, handing over the portion she hadn't bitten yet to the drummer.

The exchange was nothing out of the ordinary for Himari. Since she worried so much about her calorie intake, she knew Tomoe would finish off whatever she didn't eat. It was just how it happened. That was just how they were.

"Did you want to sit down, Tomoe-chan? I've been here for a while now anyways." Kaoru offered, already on her feet.

Tomoe didn't want to be rude, especially since Kaoru had already got up. Besides, she was starting to figure out what Kaoru was trying to do. In fact, she was almost grateful. Kaoru was trying to keep Himari more focused on Tomoe, in hopes that it would also give Kaoru enough space to engage more with Chisato.

As Tomoe took Kaoru's spot on the bench, Chisato absentmindedly scooted closer to the other side of the bench to give some additional space. She felt strangely out of place as she passively took in the situation- slightly intimidated even. Perhaps that was partially her fault for keeping herself more reserved than usual.

The side of Chisato's arm bumped into Kaoru, who was standing off to the side of the bench next to her. The guitarist didn't seem to have taken notice, and testing the waters, Chisato leaned just a little bit more weight against Kaoru. It gave her some feeling of security, but she didn't dare look up to see what Kaoru's reaction would be.

Chisato had to be honest with herself. She was silently looking forward to spending time with Kaoru again. Being two towns away would mean Kaoru wouldn't be recognized and admired in a drop of a hat, and it had been a really long time since Chisato saw this casual side of Kaoru. No princely getups, yet still as open and compassionate. This Kaoru was caught somewhere between the extravagant and the timid. This wasn't something that Chisato was expecting, but it was not uninvited. If that was the case, then Chisato would be willing to meet Kaoru halfway.

* * *

 **A/N:** This is gonna be a rant. Some about the fic, some not.

Yes, food is going to be mentioned in every chapter, don't me. No, but really, after I noticed the trend in the previous three chapters I thought I'd just might as well continue the food thing. People can always bond over food. I'm sure Moca would agree with me.

I really don't think Kaoru's a complete idiot. Idk, maybe it's a bit ooc to her usual ridiculousness? I just think that outside of HHW, Kaoru seems to be the most chill around Himari and Tomoe in terms of letting go of the womanizer act just a bit. But that's just my take, hence this fic. I have a lot of feelings with the other three too, but maybe I'll save those rants for later chapter notes.

By the way, angst incoming, be prepared.

Also, shoutout to you guys that leave comments. They really do make my day and inspire me to actually finish a multi-chapter fic for once in my life. So, I leave a kudos to you.

Additional shoutout to Ray, who I spam all my bandori fic idea vomit to. Also is my beta reader and he makes sure I'm not writing in weird archaic diction, despite him taking forever and I end up posting chapters that are only like 70% beta-read. (yes this is an you, Ray. Fight me.)

That being said, I won't really have a constant post schedule because of the craziness that is my life, but I try to find time cause I think about this way too much while I'm busy doing other things. I don't know *how* I'm going to write the next chapter. I know *what* is going to happen, just that words are hard. The next three chapters though are pretty much solid in how I want to execute them. UUURRRRGGGGG too many ideas.

Might also take a quick break from this story to write something else; I just have a treasure trove of bandori story ideas, but no idea how to start writing any of them. One thing is for sure: I'm posting stories for TomoHima Week. (If you follow the tumblr/twitter, it's Sept. 4-10) EVERYTHING is happening that week irl, but I gotta write the OTP.

End Rant.

tlrd; Food motifs. Angst is coming. Shoutouts to commenters and Ray. Post schedule nonexistent because 'how to words?' Maybe other bandori fics incoming, but know for sure that I will be posting for TomoHima week.


	5. Chapter 5

When the flyer said that this baking festival was popular, they weren't expecting the event to be as big as it was. Several blocks of the city's downtown area was closed off specifically for the affair. Countless vendors lined the streets, making it seem more like a street market than a baking festival. The exhibitors weren't limited to baked goods either; anything from fresh juice to takoyaki and goods made by local artists could be found.

Luckily, guests were given a program pamphlet when they paid for admission. It listed several activities that were available and an event schedule of the various demonstrations and contests being held at the festival. It even included a map.

"There's live music being played at the amphitheatre all day," Himari noted as she looked at the band lineup. All of them were local acts, none of which she recognized.

"Maybe we can chill there once we can't take anymore food in our systems," Tomoe half-joked.

Himari looked up from the pamphlet, feigning annoyance in a the form of a pout. She was partially jealous of Tomoe's metabolism, which was rivaled only by Moca's. Himari blamed the same Udagawa gene that had caused Tomoe's growth spurt right before they entered high school. Her only hope was that Ako wouldn't surpass her too.

"How true," Kaoru said, "I doubt that any of us can handle constantly snacking the entire day."

"Though," Chisato added, nodding in approval, "I do hope we can are able try a little bit of everything."

The group set off to one of the streets of the festival, using the map to optimize their route. The smells of freshly baked bread and cooked-to-order food was overwhelming, none of them knew what to try first. Initially, they stuck to just browsing the options, taking note of which ones they'd come back to if they couldn't find anything better. In truth, none of them really wanted to be the first to buy something. Tomoe was eventually the first to break off from the party, having sidestepped some opposing foot traffic before hurrying off towards a vendor, leaving the others to follow in confusion.

That is, until Himari managed to read the sign. Tomoe came back in record time with four barbecue sticks, one of which was already half eaten. A vast majority of people knew Tomoe to be cool and reliable- which she was- but only Himari, and by extension the rest of Afterglow, really experienced the more free-spirited side of her. Tomoe was a kid at heart, and at times could be unapologetically so.

"What?" Tomoe feigned innocence when Himari amusingly glared at her, "I got one for everyone. I'm not going to eat them all myself, who do you think I am?"

After finishing their barbeque, their initial nervousness receded and they began sampling more frequently. There was a lot to try, and more often than not, orders were shared. They later sat in for a demonstration on cake decorating, and attended one of the tea tasting events.

Himari found it hard to enjoy the tea samples, as many of them were unsweetened and kept their bitter taste. Chisato, however, was ecstatic at the selection. She would comment on each sample about the various flavor notes. She was in her prime and was truly enjoying the experience- the enthusiasm was such rare sight that Kaoru would just agree with whatever Chisato said, only confusingly glance at Tomoe when the two bassists weren't looking. Tomoe opted to silently finished her samples, just trying to be adequate company and not really get in the way. Kaoru, on the other hand, hardly had the extensive knowledge of tea beyond the basics, but she diligently tried to at least look like she was understanding all the differences in the taste palettes for Chisato's sake.

"Kaoru-senpai, I didn't know you were a tea sommelier." Himari noted to her senior while Chisato was busy paying for her favorite tea packets from the tasting.

"Each is exquisite in their own right," Kaoru answered with an air of mystery, not really wanting to expose her actual lack of tea tasting experience.

Tomoe only rolled her eyes, already seeing through the bluff, but Himari found the answer to be fascinating. When Chisato returned with her purchases, Himari could only comment how refined they were- mostly Kaoru, though- with their tea expertise.

There were several other tastings scattered throughout the festival. The one that really caught Tomoe's attention was a mystery bread tasting. Now, she wasn't an expert like Moca was, but passing up a challenge like so was not going to fly with Tomoe. Luckily, Kaoru agreed to it as well, so Tomoe wouldn't have to try whatever bread they got alone.

A paper bag was handed to them, which inside had a slice of black-colored bread. Neither Kaoru nor Tomoe knew what unearthly ingredient could have been added to turn the bread black, but it was too late for them to back out now. Plus, they weren't going to suddenly become cowards in front of Himari and Chisato, which for some reason both of them had their phones ready to record the outcome of the mystery tasting.

Tomoe swallowed nervously as she broke the slice of bread in half, handing one half to Kaoru. Himari gave them both a thumbs up in encouragement, but Chisato beside her was simply smiling in amusement at the prospect of Kaoru and Tomoe playing russian roulette against Fate.

"On three?" Tomoe offered.

"Like one-two-eat, or one-two-three-eat?" Kaoru asked, trying to stall the inevitable. She internally cursed herself for joining Tomoe in the challenge, but she didn't want to be outshone by the drummer.

"One-two-eat." Tomoe answered.

The two nodded in determination before simultaneously stuffing the bread into their mouths at the count of three. Kaoru was the first to make a face of disgust before bending over and spitting out the half-chewed bread. Tomoe looked like she wanted to cry, but was adamant on swallowing her food. Kaoru was desperately trying to wash the taste off with water when Tomoe finally got the cursed thing down her throat, coughing slightly when she felt like she could breathe normally again.

"What the hell was that?!" Kaoru yelled before opening a bottle of iced tea Chisato gave her in hopes that it would drown out the taste.

Tomoe reached back into the paper bag and pulled out a folded piece of paper.

"Squid ink bread." Tomoe deadpanned, internally wanting to die.

Kaoru felt nauseous, steeling herself to not puke from the remnants of the taste in her mouth. "Never again."

"Agreed." Tomoe answered in solidarity.

"And~ sent." Himari said out loud. She already posted the video to the Afterglow group chat.

Tomoe could only silently accept her fate that she would be getting an earful from Moca when they next saw each other. Kaoru hid her face in her hands in shame; only looking up when she heard the soft chuckles coming from Chisato beside her.

"Don't worry, I'm not going to post anything," Chisato reassured Kaoru. "But, you didn't even last five seconds."

"How disgraceful, Tomoe-chan managed to swallow it at least." Kaoru mourned her last ounce of dignity.

"Hey, come on. You never liked a lot of seafood in the first place, right?"

Kaoru chuckled at that. "I suppose that follows."

Chisato promised to pay for Kaoru's food next time as a consolation prize; she did kind of feel bad for Kaoru's suffering despite it being utterly hilarious. And no, she wouldn't post the video anywhere, but she would more than likely go back to it for a good laugh every now and then.

The group continued to walk around the festival for another hour before deciding on taking a break. Like they planned earlier, they wanted to listen to the live music while they took the time to relax. The amphitheatre was conveniently located in the heart of the festival. They found a shadier spot under a tree where there was less foot traffic while still having a good view of the stage.

Tomoe offered to be the one to go on a drink run while the rest of them relaxed. A while later, Chisato excused herself to try and find a lavatory. This left Kaoru and Himari sitting on the grass. None of them had thought of bringing a picnic blanket or anything, so they could hardly complain. The two of them conversed over which pastries they had enjoyed and which stalls they would go back to before they left the festival to bring back souvenirs to their friends back home.

Chisato tried to be quick with her restroom break. The idea of leaving Kaoru and Himari alone didn't sit well with her. She would have asked Kaoru to accompany her, but she felt even worse about possibly leaving Himari alone just to have Kaoru wait for her outside the lavatory. She wasn't that mean and selfish, but she also tried to tell herself that she wasn't jealous.

Himari surely had good intentions, and in the little time Chisato had recently spent with the two Afterglow members, she concluded that it was probably just in Himari's personality to be overly enthusiastic and touchy. Tomoe looked completely used to it, and Chisato could only wonder how Tomoe was able to stay so patient with Himari. Even when Himari was practically throwing herself onto Kaoru.

Chisato really tried to give Himari the benefit of the doubt, but she could not shake off the feeling of jealousy that repeatedly kept bubbling up that day. It didn't help that Kaoru was just as casual to Himari as Himari was to Kaoru. Seeing the two be so close downright bothered her. Chisato, however, shook her head to get rid of the thought, running her fingers through her hair as she walked back to their resting spot. They hadn't noticed her coming up yet when she overheard their conversation.

"Hey, Kaoru-senpai, can I ask you something kind of serious? Since it's just us."

Chisato stopped in her tracks, ducking behind the tree trunk in hopes not to be seen. There was silence, which probably meant that Kaoru was thinking.

"Sure, I suppose so."

Chisato forced herself to walk away before she heard anything more. She couldn't bear to hear what she knew was going to be asked. Chisato didn't know where she was going to go, but she would much rather be anywhere other than with those two.

Tomoe lightly swung the bag of bottled drinks in her hand as she walked. Green tea for Chisato, milk tea for Himari, grape juice for Kaoru, and citrus soda for herself. She found herself crossing paths with Chisato on her way back, who was heading the opposite direction.

"Oh, hey, Shirasagi-san!" Tomoe called out, "I was just coming back with drinks. Sorry I took so long, the lines were horrendously long."

Tomoe could see Chisato was trying to keep her composure as their gazes met momentarily. With years of dealing with Ran, Tomoe had an acute eye for noticing these things. "Did something happen while I was gone?"

"I suggest you don't bother them." Chisato spoke carefully, her voice still collected but not quite matching the pained aura she was expelling. "You're a good person, Tomoe-chan, but save yourself the heartache."

With no other explanation, Chisato walked on past Tomoe. Confused, Tomoe turned around, scratching the back of her head in confusion. It almost sounded like… no. Kaoru wouldn't. Tomoe bolted towards where Himari and Kaoru were.

* * *

 **A/N** : I said there would be angst. And there is… but it's so petty lol. Sorry for ruining your expectations. But at least finally I got through writing this chapter. It was so fricken hard to get over this bump cause I had everything else planned except this specific part.


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N** : I know this is short but I wanted to separate this part from chapter 5 to put a cliffhanger for a split second in an attempt to make this a bit more angsty than it actually is. Sorry, not sorry. But consider this as an extension to chapter 5 rather than its own true chapter, even if it is technically "chapter 6."

* * *

"Hey, Kaoru-senpai, can I ask you something serious? Since it's just us?" Himari asked seemingly out of nowhere. They had been talking about the festival since Tomoe and Chisato left, so the question came out of left field.

Kaoru turned to Himari, raising an eyebrow. Himari hadn't taken her gaze off the stage where the band was playing. Kaoru wasn't quite sure what Himari had on her mind. "Sure, I suppose so."

Himari glanced over to Kaoru and smiled softly. "So… When did you and Tomoe get so close? I mean, before you two barely talked to each other. Not that it's a bad thing or anything, but it kind of came out of nowhere, you know?"

The inevitable question; of course Himari was bound to notice at some point, dense as she may be. Kaoru hummed, turning her gaze to the stage. The music was nothing but white noise to them at the current moment as anticipation hung in the air. "Let's just say, we've found common ground and are aiding one another."

Now Himari was really curious, excitingly turning to look at Kaoru fully, "I knew it! You two are planning something! Tomoe said the same thing when I ask her."

Kaoru laughed at Himari's sudden enthusiasm, neither confirming nor denying the claim.

"Tell me!" Himari begged; she hated being kept out of things.

"Ah, but that would ruin all the preparations Tomoe-chan and I made." Kaoru answered dramatically yet truthfully. She would never throw Tomoe under the bus like that. "Do not fret, the curtain will be drawn soon enough."

Himari was going to complain again but their attention was drawn to the sound of someone running towards them. They turned their heads, watching in surprise as Tomoe doubled over to put her hands on her knees and catch her breath.

"Kaoru-senpai…" Tomoe wheezed. She took a couple deep breaths and stood up straight, before yelling at the top of her lungs. "What the actual hell?!"

Both Himari and Kaoru were taken aback at Tomoe's outburst. Tomoe rarely ever mad at anyone' but whenever she was, she would be furious. Neither Himari nor Kaoru had any idea what had caused Tomoe to suddenly be so heated.

"What did I do?" Kaoru defended herself, slightly intimidated at how Tomoe's glare pierced her soul.

"I just ran into Shirasagi-san walking the opposite way. She looked like she just had her heart broken." Tomoe's voice was aggressive and firm.

Himari knew this as the tone she used when berating Ran whenever she closed off her emotions to her friends; but Kaoru, not ever experiencing this side of Tomoe, was completely alarmed at how forceful Tomoe could actually get. In a way it was scarier than whenever Chisato got mad.

"So, that begs the question- what _did_ you do?!" Tomoe demanded.

"I didn't do anything!" Kaoru countered, "She went to the restroom a while ago just a little after you left and hasn't come back since then."

Himari was concerned that Tomoe would completely blow up on Kaoru and was prepared to intervene, but Tomoe was now just as equally confused.

"Wait, what?" Tomoe asked, her voice losing its previous forcefulness. Tomoe knew Kaoru to wear her heart on her sleeve, so seeing how petrified Kaoru was good of an indicator as any that the guitarist was innocent. Kaoru clutched her chest as she recovered from nearly hyperventilating.

When Himari asked what was going on, Tomoe explained her recent run-in with Chisato. How Chisato had been coming from where they were currently and not the restroom, looking broken despite trying to keep appearances. How Chisato mentioned something to Tomoe about not bothering Himari and Kaoru and to save herself the impending heartbreak. Tomoe wasn't certain what Chisato meant with that, which is why she ran back to Kaoru and Himari to demand answers. Himari was the first to put the pieces together.

"I'm an idiot!" Himari said, realizing that she had messed up. Chisato must have came back without either of them noticing and overheard part of their conversation out of context, assuming she was about confess to Kaoru. It only took a few beats longer for Kaoru to figure out why Himari was blaming herself for all the recent happenings. Kaoru's face grew pale in panic. It was a simple misunderstanding, surely, but Kaoru was too stunned to do anything.

Tomoe hadn't figured out what had happened, since she knew nothing of Himari and Kaoru's recent conversation, but could tell that both Himari and Kaoru had already figured things out. She plainly saw the guilt on Himari's face as she was already being brought to tears and blaming herself for causing a strife, and the blankness on Kaoru's face, who was trying to figure out what to do.

"What the hell are you doing just sitting there?!" Tomoe yelled at Kaoru again, this time to pull Kaoru out of her own mental abyss.

Kaoru blinked a few times as her brain finally reset and started thinking properly again. She cursed under her breath as she took off running before she had even stood up completely, causing her to trip in the process. After recovering, she burst into a sprint- at least for her standards, for she lacked any athletic ability aside from stage fighting. She wasn't sure where Chisato could have gone, but Kaoru knew she had to find Chisato and set everything straight.

* * *

 **A/N:** Just a life update. I'm completely swamped with irl responsibilities and I won't have time to be writing a whole lot. I'll probably update this fic in two weeks or something like that once everything passes. I promise I didn't mean to put this cliffhanger, but also it seems like the perfect place to have a hiatus on.

(TomoHima week will proceed as normal though, I made a promise to myself to write for it because of how long I put writing on the backburner.)

Chapters 7 and 8 are probably going to be pretty short too since I think I'm probably going to separate KaoChisa's and TomoHima's heart-to-heart conversations for organizational reasons. Most of the angst is over; haha it only lasted for probably five minutes maximum in-story.

Just to be clear, Kaoru's not setting anything straight though, cause it just gets gayer from here on out. {insert finger guns here}. Also, I just read the RomiJuri event and now I'm super self-conscious about how I've written Kaoru's dialogue and speech patterns ._.

Also the next few publications are probably going to be beta-less. It goes without saying that I'm sorry for spelling/grammar mistakes, there's probably a few in the previous chapters too. If anyone is interested in being one of my beta-readers, feel free to reach out to me.


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N:** So it's been a hot second since I've written for this fic, but no way in hell would I abandon it. That'd be too fleeting. So the next two chapters are the heart-to-hearts and boy were they a doozy to write. I really hope I was able to portray the heaviness of the situation well enough without ruining it with subpar dialogue.

Still running on the fact that Kaoru is much more knowledgeable than she seems, at least philosophically. Somewhat. Just a little.

* * *

There were too many people. Lost in the vanity of blurred faces and mindless chatter, Kaoru had no idea where to even begin her search for the lost damsel. A worrisome panic burned within Kaoru due to the festival being spread vastly throughout the shopping district and the added unfamiliarity of being in a different town altogether. All she could do was frantically search every corner of the vicinity. Chisato couldn't have gotten far; however, finding the short blonde proved to be a difficult task, even if Kaoru could peer above the majority of the festival crowd.

The foot traffic began to thin out as she reached the edge of the festival grounds. Disheartened, Kaoru began to slow her pace as she strolled down the street. It was unlikely that Chisato would try to leave the city on her own, but with every passing second, Kaoru began to consider the worst possible outcomes.

She caught a glimpse of her own reflection as she passed a window. Halting for a moment, Kaoru was prepared to mentally berate herself for her incompetence, but noticed just how hard she had been breathing. Kaoru was never really the most athletic, and her growing anxiety only added to her uneasy breathing.

However, her eyes refocused, looking beyond her semi-transparent reflection to catch the figure of a familiar blonde sitting by herself inside the teahouse Kaoru happened to be standing in front of. Kaoru had half the nerve to impulsively burst through the door, but worried that it may cause Chisato to flee once more. In an attempt to quell her worrisome nerves, Kaoru took a deep breath to calm herself before entering the teahouse. A soft bell rang as she opened the door, announcing her entrance.

The interior of the teahouse was artsy and cozy—a cute establishment had it been under different circumstances—but a unsatisfying tension hung in the air as Kaoru and Chisato briefly shared eye contact. Kaoru turned away first out of shame, heading straight to the counter to order a drink. She didn't want to take long considering the menu, so she opted for a simple green tea.

Chisato kept a wary eye on Kaoru throughout the entire process. Kaoru finding her had been purely coincidence, this much she was sure of. She had seen Kaoru at the window pondering at her own reflection before the guitarist had even entered the vicinity. Luckily, she managed to avert her gaze before Kaoru recognized she was inside. The last thing Chisato wanted right now was to talk to Kaoru; however, she knew she couldn't run away either.

Right after her outburst to Tomoe, Chisato knew after storming of that she overreacted from all her overthinking. She knew better than to jump to conclusions, but for whatever reason she had allowed her emotions dictate her actions. She could have simply turned around and rejoined the group to apologize; but, Chisato was too prideful to take responsibility for her behavior. Not when Kaoru was involved. She couldn't bare confronting Kaoru directly, so instead she went and found this teahouse to try to calm herself down and properly think over her feelings before addressing them to the rest of the group—particularly Kaoru. Chisato was fearing the inevitable moment of when she would have to return to the group, so perhaps there was some silver lining in the fact that Kaoru had found her first. This way, at least, they could talk one-on-one.

Still, Chisato could not help but avert her gaze as Kaoru took the seat across from her, a warm drink nestled between her hands. Kaoru, too, avoided eye contact and stared down at the plastic cup, afraid that if she were to speak that she may say all the wrong things. It was uncomfortable for both of them to have words caught in their throats but the fear of spilling them out. They never had the best communication with each other, and neither was solely to blame.

"I-" Kaoru began awkwardly, unsure where to even start.

"Don't." Chisato answered flatly, casting a sideways glance towards the taller woman.

"No! I should apologize-"

"I said 'don't,' Kaoru."

Kaoru sank down in her seat, gulping nervously as if she were physically swallowing her own words. She heard Chisato take a deep breath and when Kaoru finally rose her head to meet the blonde's gaze, she had not expected to see such a downcast look clear on Chisato's face.

"You have nothing to apologize for," Chisato clarified, her voice absent of anger. "We both know the fault was my own."

Chisato fiddled with her own cup, trying to organize her thoughts. Kaoru, though her eyes wide in surprise, sat patiently. When it became apparent that Chisato wasn't planning on adding anything else anytime soon, Kaoru took her chance to speak.

"I don't blame you, if that's any consolation," Kaoru warily took a sip of her drink, but her eyes never left Chisato for a second. "Misunderstandings happen."

"Anything and everything between us is simply a collection of misunderstandings," Chisato retorted in a burst of frustration but quickly dissolved back into her previous downcast state. "I never know what it is with you."

"I'm… trying to work on it, I know. I'm sorry…"

"Damnit, I know that." Chisato said venomously, though the sourness of her tone was more directed at herself than at Kaoru. "I saw that in you throughout all of today and even when we were at Hazawa-san's the other day. But…"

Chisato pinched the bridge of her nose. She wouldn't cry over something like this. She wouldn't be brought to tears so easily like Aya, and yet emotions could be such cruel mistresses at times. Chisato forced herself to acknowledge the jealousy behind so many of her actions the past few months. Because of what? She was hoping that somewhere underneath the bravado was a Kaoru she had known years prior. She was the first person to know that people can never stay the same over time, especially since it had been nearly half a decade since they played as children. "It's unfair—that I haven't been trying to do the same."

"One does not need to take long strides to achieve progress," Kaoru reassured. At times it was difficult for her as well, afraid of shattering everything she had built up in her own self-confidence over the years in an attempt to express herself more genuinely. But change happens gradually—a marathon stretched over time that cannot be turned over in a single day.

"There's still a lot of things I'm uncertain about as well," Kaoru confessed, "But nothing will happen until we try, right?"

"Try what?" Chisato asked.

"Um-!" Kaoru blushed. Sure, she could have asked Chisato out right then and there, but it would only make her seem like a hypocrite. The reaction caused a sweet laugh to escape Chisato's lips, dissipating some of the tension between them.

"How about this?" Chisato offered a proposal, "We try to work things out, make up for lost time… and then maybe, after that-"

"Yes! I mean, yea… we could do that," Kaoru outbursted before catching herself. As she awkwardly covered her reddened face, Chisato couldn't help but giggle some more.

"You know, Kao-chan, it really is a shame I don't see this side of you more often."

Kaoru buried her face into her arms as she put her head down on the table. "Chi-chan, stop~!"

Once Chisato's laughter died down and Kaoru's face cooled, they decided to head back together. Without panic fogging up her mental state, Kaoru noticed that the way back to the park was much shorter than when she had been weaving through the crowd in search of Chisato.

"I'm sorry I assumed," Chisato said as they walked side by side. "It was so rash, I can't believe I did that."

"So full of artless jealousy is guilt, it spills itself in fearing to be spilt."

Chisato hummed. Kaoru still missed the bullseye in understanding the quotes she recited, but she would let it slide this time. Besides, what Kaoru had said wasn't completely far off if Chisato was really being honest with herself. But that's something she'll be sure to work on, for her own sake and for Kaoru's. Afterall, she did say they would figure things out—together.

* * *

 **A/N:** Kaoru's gotten so used to Chisato pushing the blame on her that Chisato being honest about herself made her shook! Obviously not the only reason why it took so long for me to update, but I had so much trouble writing the dialogue. T-T

One pairing down, now onto the next one. I'm smack dab in the middle of Finals Hell™ so I'm not entirely sure when I'll be able to write and release the next chapter—which is TomoHima in case you for some reason didn't know that. After that will probably be one last chapter to wrap things up for this story. I really hope you guys, gals, and nonbinary pals enjoyed reading it.


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N:** Holy crap this took me way longer to write than I initially thought! TomoHima trying to have a super serious talk? Unheard of. Also got a bit awkward to write now that Himari and Chisato have a new event together and everyone's character relations have shifted again (it's on JP so I don't really know what it's about other than seeing the card set). Suspension of disbelief? Yea, let's go with that.

Thanks again to TheGreatZura for beta reading.

* * *

Himari sank into a slouch as she continued to wallow in guilt. Tomoe uneasily sat in the grass besides her, the gravity of the situation still weighing heavy in the air despite the upbeat playing of the band on stage. Neither said anything for a while until Tomoe broke the silence with a deep sigh. But even then, neither was willing to start the conversation just yet.

Looking back on the events of the day from an outside perspective, Himari could only imagine how things could have looked to Chisato. A small mental voice—vaguely resembling Moca's constant teasing—berated her about being oblivious and dense. Maybe she'd been spoiled too much by her friends that she easily forgot about personal boundaries. Himari would have liked to think that she was good at perceiving things, but hardly considered how her own actions could be perceived by others.

Himari had an idea of what could have been going on in Chisato's head. Why else would Chisato have agreed to come with them to the festival? It wasn't like Chisato was close with her or with Tomoe. She didn't even consider it an option until Kaoru had spoken up that day at Tsugu's place. Even for most of today, Chisato more or less stuck by Kaoru unless she was otherwise addressed. In retrospect, it seemed pretty obvious, but for some reason Himari was always blind to the obvious things.

"I really do suck, don't I?" Himari muttered, not knowing what to say. She opted to rest her head on Tomoe's shoulder in search of some comfort.

"You don't suck." Tomoe reassured, however when Himari lifted her head to glare at her, she chuckled lowly at her lame attempt at reassurance. "Okay, maybe you suck just a bit. But don't worry about it, I'm sure it'll all turn out fine. Don't blame yourself so much, Himari."

Through Himari's display of guilt, Tomoe could infer that Chisato must have overheard something out of context, but she wasn't about to ask Himari what that conversation was exactly. Maybe in this case, ignorance was bliss. Rather than probing for answers, Tomoe fell into old habits and allowed her arm drape protectively around Himari's shoulders. Anytime Himari was emotionally stressed about anything, whether or not Tomoe understood what was going on, she would always lend her ear to listen. Half of the time, Himari just wanted to rant, but sometimes Tomoe would try to give some sort of practical advice. This was one of those cases where she wasn't sure how to handle the situation. She instead provided her silent comfort, since she was never that great with verbal affirmation. Luckily, Himari was the kind of person that would eventually calm down just from being held.

"You really sure things will work out?" Himari asked, already feeling more at ease.

Tomoe hummed, "I don't see why it wouldn't. Actually, if anything, Shirasagi-san's reaction makes me think Seta-senpai has more of a chance than we had initially thought."

Himari's eyebrows furrowed, unable to understand what Tomoe was referring to. Sitting up and breaking the embrace, she looked at Tomoe for an answer, only to receive a goofy smile in return.

"Oh, come on, Himari." Tomoe teased lightly, "You're the one that's into all those romance stories. Think about it."

Himari took a moment to ponder only to gasp in realization, "No way! You're sure they'd really like each other…like that?"

Tomoe tried not to flinch at the way Himari said 'like that,' but pressed on. "Seta-senpai? I'm sure. Shirasagi-san? Well, after everything that's happened, I'm pretty certain she does too. They'll have to work some stuff out first though."

"Wow…" Himari stared off, trying to wrap her head around everything. Sure, she thought Kaoru was attractive and overall a great person to be around, but it wasn't like she would actually try to date her or anything. A little admiration never hurt anybody, but wouldn't it just be weird to date one of your friends, lest one of the same gender?

"Wait," Himari suddenly said, glaring at Tomoe accusingly. "How do you know about all of this? And why are you so unconcerned about things right now?! Oh my gosh I just made things a thousand times worse, didn't I?!"

Himari pressed her palms to her cheeks, trying to cool her face from her runaway thoughts. Tomoe leaned back, holding her weight up with her arms as she burst out laughing.

"No, no, no. They probably needed to be tipped like that."

"That still doesn't explain how you know about all about this." Himari retorted with a puff of her cheeks, "Last I remember, you don't usually like poking around people's love lives."

Tomoe blushed from having been caught so easily. "Heh… looks like the cat's out of the bag, huh?"

"You two were planning this!" Himari exclaimed, finally completing the puzzle. "You were totally trying to help get them together, weren't you?!"

Tomoe raised her hands up sheepishly, "Guilty as charged."

The two found themselves laughing off the tense atmosphere as slowly eased back into their usual banter. When the last of lingering chuckles finally died down, Himari couldn't help but look at Tomoe a little more solemnly.

"What? Is something wrong with my face?" Tomoe managed to joke with a crack in her nervous laughter, but she knew the look of when Himari was about to bring up something serious.

"No… I was just thinking."

Tomoe briefly considered making another joke, but knew better than to push too many of Himari's buttons. She swallowed nervously as she got the feeling that she knew where the conversation was going.

"What about? Want to talk about it?"

Himari furrowed her eyebrows in thought. "It's just something Kaoru-senpai mentioned a while ago while you were getting drinks—that you two had found something in common with each other and were helping each other with it."

Sure, Himari did think that both Kaoru and Tomoe expelled that same sort of cool aura and were pretty similar in more aspects than one. But that still didn't explain how they suddenly got so close with each other. It must have been something different that they were able to quickly bond over. And if Tomoe was for some reason helping Kaoru get together with Chisato like she said, then it could only mean…

"Tomoe, do you have someone you like?"

The question hung heavy in the air. Tomoe knew the blow was coming and tried to be prepared for it; but she still couldn't prevent it from hitting hard when Himari put the topic out in the open.

Tomoe nervously rubbed the back of her neck as she tried to stall. "Well, I mean I like a lot of people, ya know?"

"You know that's not what I mean!" Himari pouted.

Of course, it was just like Tomoe to avoid any sort of issues that could make her look vulnerable. But Himari couldn't quite put her finger on why Tomoe would tell Kaoru before her. Weren't they best friends? They told each other everything, spending countless nights texting each other under the covers when they should be sleeping. Was it because they were best friends? That Himari knowing would somehow ruin everything they were and had built up over their unbreakable years of friendship. Himari was pretty sure she would be okay with whoever Tomoe ended up dating, even if it were another girl. Himari probed carefully, trying to reassure Tomoe that she could be relied on in the same way she tended to rely on Tomoe whenever she was going through something difficult.

"You can tell me. I won't judge you, whoever it is. If that's what it is. I promise it won't affect our friendship, you're still going my best frie-"

"It's you, okay?!" Tomoe blurted out suddenly, unable to even look at Himari's general direction. "It's always been you. I've...loved you for a long time now."

Tomoe's hands were clenched, fistfuls of the grass they sat on. Her jaw closed tight, straining as she anxiously waited for whatever reaction Himari would have. For once in her life, the uncertainty of how Himari would think of her after all this terrified her. After several moments of silence, the pressure was too much and Tomoe was forced to take a deep breath. Had she really been holding her breath for so long? Willing herself to glance at Himari, she found the bassist wide-eyed, obviously still trying to process the entirety of what Tomoe had said.

The confession hit Himari like a speeding truck; not just a standard pickup truck either, but a sixteen-wheeler carrying a full load. Her? Tomoe liked her? Since when? Why was her heart beating so hard? Did she even like Tomoe like that? They were already pretty much inseparable, so it could be possible. Let's say she did, then what do people even do when they were dating? Go on dates, hold hands, cuddle and stuff. They already hung out almost constantly, but that was because they were best friends...and she did tend to grab Tomoe's arm a lot, but she was just a touchy person like that...and they have cuddled sometimes during sleepovers, but that was because she would occasionally have nightmares...holy hell, maybe she did like Tomoe like that! Then if she did, what would it be like to kiss Tomoe? Would she be okay with that? Himari's body began to flare up as the realization became more apparent to her, forcing her to press both hands to her cheeks in order to hide her embarrassment and ever reddening face.

"Ar-are you okay?" Tomoe asked worriedly. Her hand hung outstretched, afraid to touch something so fragile. She had watched Himari go through the spectrum of emotions in the manner of a few seconds. Without receiving a response, Tomoe feared that she might have broken Himari.

"Um… well," Tomoe started with a nervous chuckle, "Maybe just forget what I said, okay? No need to make a big deal out of it."

"Wait, no!" Himari said as she suddenly broke out of her daze, "What do you mean forget about what you just said?! This is a big deal!"

"Himari..."

"Shhhhh!" Himari covered Tomoe's mouth with her hand and gave her a stern look. "I'm not letting you brush this off. No take-backsies. You like me. No, love me."

"Mhm?" Tomoe wasn't sure where this was going, but the tone of Himari's voice sounded like she was scheming something. With Himari's hand still clasped over her mouth, Tomoe could only raise an eyebrow concerningly as Himari giggled.

"You're really cute. You know that, Tomoe?"

Tomoe's eyes widened, a look that was caught between surprise and confusion. As Himari pulled her hand away, she smiled brightly. It wasn't often that she was able to throw Tomoe off kilter, and she intended on using that to her advantage while she could.

"So~ does this mean we're girlfriends now?" Himari cooed.

"I suppose… if you're okay with that."

"Yup!" Himari answered before bringing her hand up to stroke her chin with a devious smile. They stayed in silence like that for a while before Tomoe started to feel uneasy being under Himari's mischievous gaze. She was about to ask what Himari was plotting when the bassist piped up again.

"If that's the case, then I can do this, right?"

"Huh? Do what?"

Without giving Tomoe the chance to react, Himari immediately dove in to grab Tomoe's cheeks in her hands and press her lips against her now girlfriend. Tomoe's eyes went wide a second time, but before she could reciprocate, Himari had already pulled away.

"You… can't...just do that..." Tomoe managed despite her shock. She wasn't expecting Himari to kiss her outright so haphazardly. Not that she was against it; far from it actually. She had been so quickly caught off guard that her brain short circuited.

"I'm your girlfriend now, I can do what I want," Himari declared plainly as she crossed her arms triumphantly.

With the amount of pride Himari had when she had said that, Tomoe couldn't help but chuckle fondly as she regained her composure. Wrapping an arm around the shorter girl's waist, Tomoe pulled Himari in closer. As Tomoe pressed their foreheads together, Himari released an involuntary squeak from having lost control over the situation so quickly. That and the fact that she had never been this close to Tomoe face-to-face—close enough to see the different shades of blue swirl in her eyes.

"Well then, if you are my girlfriend now," Tomoe said, her voice becoming slightly huskier as she spoke softly between them. "At least give me the chance to kiss you properly."

The first kiss had been impulsive—experimental. Himari pulled such a stunt just to see if doing so would actually spark something within her and quell her internal doubts of whether or not she in fact reciprocated the same sort of feelings Tomoe had for her. But this second kiss lingered; it was slower, softer, more loving. Himari couldn't help but become undone. Her feelings didn't burst out like fireworks or sparked with electricity in the way that the love stories she indulged in would portray it, but rather bubbled warmly within her as if it had been left to simmer over the past couple of years until it was ready to be unlidded. Himari finally realized that she fell in love with Tomoe a long time ago, she had just been too oblivious to see where the line in the sand was drawn.

* * *

 **A/N** : I couldn't avoid writing some gay repression in Himari, but I tried not to make a huge issue. The girl literally goes through a roller coaster of emotions.

The way I see TomoHima is a pretty easy transition between friends to lovers, once one of them just confesses already! I mean they're already domestic af cause Tomoe is a huge ass gay pushover. Himari just needs to be told explicitly the difference between platonic and romantic love, cause sweetie what you feel for Tomoe is way past platonic levels. Also, slightly assertive Himari? Yes, please.

Sheesh, I'm so fricken biased and wrote TomaHima's chapter so much better than the KaoChisa one, The angst was super duper hard to portray though... :( Promise, I'll make up for it next chapter.

Speaking of next chapter, there will be one more chapter, which will serve as this story's epilogue. Hopefully that will be out before the year ends. I might write some more stuff for this series in the future, but most likely will be writing something else with all the ideas I keep having but never getting around to write them.


	9. Epilogue

Once the duos had met back up, it was the general consensus that they should start heading back soon. They mostly exhausted everything that was available at the festival, and they didn't want to miss the last train back to their own town. However, they did have just enough time to visit a nearby sightseeing locale. There was a lookout point with a protruding observation deck that overlooked the cliffside to the ocean. It was nearing sunset and Himari heavily insisted that she needed a photo of it before leaving town.

"Hurry up, ya slowpoke. We're going to miss it," Himari said as she dragged Tomoe by the arm across the observation deck.

"We're already here, Himari. We're not gonna miss anything." Tomoe struggled to answer as she focused on trying not to trip over her own two feet.

"Yes, but I want the best spot to take pictures. We'll send some to the group chat too!"

Himari held her phone up and moved about the deck trying to find the best angle, though in all honesty, it didn't do much affecting perspective. All she could really do was try to find the place with just enough lens flare to be artistic, but not enough to ruin the entire shot. Tomoe stood nearby watching the shorter girl pace back and forth before looking back at the other two in their party.

"You guys coming along?" Tomoe asked over her shoulder.

Beyond the threshold of the deck stood Kaoru, trying not to waver as she gave a thumbs up. "Um, I think I'm okay here, actually. I think… I think I ate too much at the festival."

Tomoe thought nothing of it and returned her attention to her own girlfriend, who had finally decided on a spot against the railing. Though she was lacking Himari's outward excitement, Tomoe was also looking forward to watching the sun go down beyond the horizon. From their vantage point, they would be able to appreciate it without the obstruction of buildings or other manmade structures.

Kaoru, however, was pretty much certain that if she got anywhere close to the railing, she would end up puking over the side of it. Just watching Himari bend over the railing to try and see what was below them was enough for Kaoru's head to start spinning. Her hands were tense in her jacket pockets and was trying to be inconspicuous, but Chisato—who stood beside her—could easily recognize the rigidness in Kaoru's posture. Carefully looping her arm around Kaoru's tense one, Chisato gave a reassuring smile as Kaoru looked down with a petrified gaze.

"It's fine, Kao-chan. We can still see the sunset from here, right?"

"Yeah," Kaoru simply replied before nervously swallowed. At this point, she wasn't sure if she was uneasy because of how high up they were or from the feeling of how warm Chisato felt against her arm as the evening chill began to settle in.

The four of them watched patiently as the sun began its descent. Nearly forgetting her fear, Kaoru became mesmerized by the swirling of colors as day turned to night. She rarely stopped to really appreciate the twilight, usually having to rush from Drama Club practice to band rehearsal. Even Chisato wasn't sure when the last time she actually saw a sunset was, since she was always preoccupied by her busy schedule as an idol and professional actress. For the both of them, it was a breath of fresh air. Their worries seemed to fade with the disappearing sun. Taking in the beauty of the afterglow, Chisato found a chuckle escape her lips as she realized why the couple before them had decided to name their band after the phenomena.

The small noise broke Kaoru from her trance. As her eyes refocused, she noticed the way Tomoe's arm had found its way around Himari's shoulders with Himari leaning into the drummer's side, affectionately returning the embrace. Kaoru didn't want to assume, but she had a feeling that all had worked out in the end. Perhaps she would invite Tomoe for ramen at later date to celebrate.

"Hey, Chi-chan...do you think…" Kaoru said absentmindedly.

"Hmm?" Chisato gave Kaoru a quizzical look, who nodded over towards the edge of the railing where Tomoe and Himari stood appreciating the sunset together.

"Do I think what?"

"Do you think…we can manage?" Kaoru asked, slightly envious. "I cannot help but think that the bar has been set for us."

While she and Chisato were also childhood friends, there were several years where they fell away from each other. Would they be able to rebuild that bond? There were many more barriers for them to break down, but Kaoru was determined to dismantle them, brick by brick if need be. Kaoru only hoped she had broken through enough for Chisato to be willing to have her, all of her, even if she was a wolf in sheep's clothing.

Chisato had her doubts as well. A relationship was a two-way street, and she had just as many faults of her own. Part of her was grateful that Kaoru kept persistent despite the amount of coldness she had shown. When Chisato had first reunited with Kaoru after years of separation, she only thought of Kaoru simply as a pauper dressed in a regal clothing, playing the part of a prince. Perhaps that was what Kaoru was then, but clothing makes the man. Somewhere along the way, Kaoru did become a prince of sorts. She became charismatic, charitable, chivalrous, compassionate—qualities that Kaoru had struggled with as a child. Kaoru was truly the stronger of the two, already taking off parts of the mask she wore. Perhaps it was time for Chisato to do the same, that much she owed Kaoru.

"To thine own self be true, and it must follow, as the night the day." Chisato recited, "Thou canst not then be false to any man."

"Hamlet."

"Indeed," Chisato confirmed with a small nod, squeezing Kaoru's arm slightly. "We'll manage."

[Omake]

The train ride back was rather quiet. The cabin lights were dimmed to account for it being eveningtime, accommodating those who wished to rest during the duration of their travels. Tomoe and Kaoru were two of those people, both knocked out like a light. Whether they were drained from the emotional turmoil of today's heavy events or physically exhausted from walking and eating all day, neither prince seemed to have any indication of waking up anytime soon.

Chisato was leaned up against Kaoru's front staring absentmindedly out the window on the opposite side of the train. It had been Kaoru's oh so chivalrous attempt to spread out and help Chisato be comfortable enough to sleep during the ride back—Chisato could not help but indulge herself despite Kaoru's theatrics—yet Kaoru was the one to fall asleep first.

In the seats in front of them, Tomoe had slid down halfway down her seat as she dozed off on Himari's shoulder. Somehow, her legs still fit in the space under the seat in front of her, given some awkward positioning on her part. How that was anywhere near comfortable to sleep in, Himari wasn't sure, but she wasn't about to wake up her very cute girlfriend to fix it.

"Psst, Shirasagi-san, look here." Himari whispered.

Chisato saw from the reflection of the window that Himari had extended her arm, phone in hand, attempting to capture a selfie.

"For prosperity's sake. Plus, we can totally use this against them later."

Chisato couldn't help but roll her eyes, but smiled for the picture regardless. The flash went off, causing Kaoru to shift under her while mumbling something incoherent. Though not waking from her slumber, the hold Kaoru had around Chisato's waist tightened slightly in an attempt to snuggle her closer. Naturally, Chisato's smile perked up a little more as she went back to gazing out the opposite window.

Himari found herself in a mischievous bout, taking just a few more pictures to archive later. Especially since Tomoe somehow managed to slide off Himari's shoulder and into her lap. There was a slight groan, but readjusted herself into another ungodly sleeping position before falling back asleep. How could Himari not take pictures of that?

Chisato's phone lit up as it received the photo message from Himari. Curious to see how the group photo turned out, she unlocked her phone to inspect it. While she looked rather reserved herself, the other three were probably worse. Himari had a tehepero expression on her face, Kaoru's ponytail had gotten loose with stray hairs poking out, and Tomoe's mouth hung slightly open with drool threatening to spill. Despite it all, Chisato did admit the picture was pretty cute.

Chisato continued scrolling through her phone for a while, going through all the photos she had taken that day. Disregarding the predicament she had caused the group to fall into, the day had been a successful one. As she reached the end of her photos, she noticed that Himari too had fallen asleep. Turning off the screen to her phone, Chisato tried to make herself comfortable. Maybe a bit of rest couldn't hurt her, they still had a ways to go until they reached the main station. Feeling the heat radiating from Kaoru, she found her eyelids fluttering closed.

"Enjoy the honey-heavy dew of slumber," Chisato hazily whispered into the air to nobody in particular, "Thou hast no figures nor no fantasies which busy care draws in the brains of men. Therefore thou sleep'st so sound."

* * *

 **A/N** : Well here we are, at the end. I'm pretty proud of myself, since this is the first multi-chapter fic I actually got around to finishing. Special thanks to everyone I totally kept spamming story ideas to, as well as my betas TheGreatZura and Ray (sorry, I forgot your penname so…)

If you enjoyed it, do please leave a comment. I really appreciate getting responses from you all. Maybe I'll open up requests in the future but if you want to talk ever, you can hit me up on twitter (it's also XiroPaine, just so you know).

Until then guys/gals/nonbinary pals, I bid you a good night and farewell.


End file.
